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Jan Robert Dünnweller What Joe Biden Can Learn From Harry Truman
His approval rating hit historic lows, his party was fractious, crises were everywhere. But Truman rescued his presidency, and his legacy.
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The Atlantic The GOP Has No Standards Now
Shredding the Constitution should disqualify anyone applying for a job protecting the Constitution.
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Happy Menocal Every Dog Is a Rescue Dog
Saying goodbye to George
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Mario Tama / Getty A Better Way to Judge Joe Biden
Some of the qualities that produce a successful presidency don’t receive the attention they should.
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Alex Majoli / Magnum Boring Is Better
Biden must prioritize science and durable facts over flimflam.
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Andrew Gombert / AFP / Getty Why You Don’t Mess Around With Presidential Transitions
Being president is a tremendously difficult job. Starting the first day without preparation could set up a presidency to fail.
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Getty / The Atlantic A Debate Is Much More Than a Fact-Checking Exercise
Why viewers shouldn’t expect moderators to call out every misstatement in real time
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Win McNamee / Getty The Slow-Fingered President
Donald Trump has been eager to tweet on many subjects—but notably reticent to emphasize public health.
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Alex Maida The Questions That Will Get Me Through the Pandemic
An unexpected routine has helped me regain a sense of control during an uncertain time.
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Illustration: Katie Martin; I. Glory / Alamy What Trump Should Have Learned From His Predecessors
Presidents who have successfully navigated crises share a key quality.
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Tom Hill / WireImage / Getty John Prine Always Found the Right Words
He wrote about what was there, but also what wasn’t there.
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David Ryder / Reuters Spare a Moment for Sorrow
Amid the chaos, take time to grieve our collective losses.
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Eric Miller / Reuters What Presidential Announcements Reveal About the Candidates
The speeches present the country’s condition as a puzzle that’s missing one piece, which the candidate can supply.
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Jim Young / Reuters Trump’s Hollow Call for Unity
A president who disdains acting presidential is unlikely to achieve much by relying on convention.
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How America Broke the Presidency
Two centuries after its design, the president's office is unworkable.
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Gregory Reid The Hardest Job in the World
What if the problem isn’t the president—it’s the presidency?
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Nick Didlick / Reuters All the Presidents' Dirty Tricks
Politicians have done some grim things in pursuit of the presidency, but there have also been times when people did the opposite: behaving morally when it was easier not to.
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Susan Walsh / AP / Zak Bickel / … Donald Trump Is an Impossible Boss
The president's unpredictability undermines his staff, depriving his counselors of the benefits of experience.
